Your Town/City/Village/Hamlet/Ring of Hell...

red_jon · July 13, 2003, 15:29

I was just idly browsing and came across this site with comments about Eastbourne, the place I live when not at uni.

One thing summed up much of the way the town works really well -

"The people (are) dragging the town back. The demographics are shifting and Eastbourne's getting younger, but there is a tension between the historical 'forces of conservatism'. The Lib Dem/Tory council doesn't know its arse from its elbow on most matters and nothing progressive ever gets done. This suits the cosy middle class pensioners that are the only politically active group of any substance. However, this doesn't represent the youth (meaning those under 35) or the disadvantaged, or a whole load of other people. The local papers add to the problem, by paying peanuts for reporters and getting monkeys. Problems of support and services for addicts, homeless, refugees, small businesses, poor young families and students need addressing. The town planning could do with a re-think too. However, everything will change, as the growth in young families (Stone Cross, Langney) and commercial development (start-up businesses, stable commerce and specific projects, like the Crumbles) combine to prompt a shift in attitudes. The old people aren't a problem, but their over-representation is. Cheers - I was born here and nobody ever listens, all the good people get disillusioned and leave. "

In regards to the newspapers - we had some journalists come in to talk to a few of us when I was in college and they said they only use the local papers as a stepping stone, having to make dreary stories appear more problematic and to appeal to the middle-right over 50 population.

An odd thing about this town, which I haven't seen as being anywhere near as bad as in other places, is the whole grunger/townie divide. Every younger person in this town who isn't a student (which is most as there's no real university here) is one of the other and they seem to really hate each other.

Another problem with the fact that everyone who's my age is usually in a full time job means prices on everything for my age group, from clothes to drinks, are through the roof.

Ah, well I can always escape when I've left uni. So what's the worst about your town?

Clear Skies · July 13, 2003, 16:28

Our parish council is run by a bunch of cheesemakers and farmers who aren't at all representative of the people and who give out planning applications based not upon merit or upon ecological concerns but upon how much they like the people who put the application in.

Add that to the size of the place - 25 houses, 1 pub, 1 church - and it's not Hell, just a tiny replica of it.

Nubclear · July 13, 2003, 16:35

The Mormons.

Wittlich · July 13, 2003, 16:39

San Francisco? I would have to say the worse problem is the high cost for real estate / rent ... Other than that, it's fabulous.

David Floyd · July 13, 2003, 16:40

Yeah, San Francisco seems great, just expensive (I was there last summer).

As for Austin, the problems include traffic, people who want to ride bikes on the highway, bums who hang out and ask me for money while smoking cigarettes (sorry, pet peeve), and large peace demonstrations that block traffic. Probably more problems, too.

Odin · July 13, 2003, 16:41

Ulen, Minnesota. Population 532.

The mayor is a old, Republican jack@ss who doesn't want to raise taxes to provide services that would get people to move here.

A measure to build a build a new school almost didn't pass because people complained the taxes would go up.

People here are either pinko commies or right-wing nutheads.

Evil Knevil · July 13, 2003, 16:45

Cupar. Pretty town. Has the soul of a Spice Girls song. One nightclub. Very few bars and a strong religious community.

So, very twee, but nothing going for it. There isn't much of a yob problem, except that they, like me, are bored sh*tless

Edit: Why did the s-word appear in my post? I didn't do my usual trick.

red_jon · July 13, 2003, 16:47

People don't seem to bother with Eastbourne too much due to its proximity to Brighton - which has a massive straight and gay scene and a very vibrant culture.

The Conservatives in Eastbourne seem content on killing the small businesses on the seafront (our b&b being one of them) by not allowing government funded asylum seekers and refugees to stay in seafront hotels anymore. Surely it's our choice, not theirs? We don't exactly get many tourists in the winter.

MrFun · July 13, 2003, 17:53

About the town I was raised in, then moved away from, four years ago.

First, the name of my hometown is Holy Cross.

Second, there's only 300 people living in there between the hills, surrounded by cornfields. Can you picture the exciting night life?

Third, it's predominantly of devoted Catholics.

I have been able to breathe much easier in the four years since I moved away.

Paul Hanson · July 13, 2003, 17:56

My village is notable only for it's proximity to Hibaldstow, the place where that lad fell out of the sky a few days ago when his parachute was tampered with.

Buck Birdseed · July 13, 2003, 17:56

Stockholm, Beauty on Water, the Island City, Record Shop Browsing Capital of the World.

Sandman · July 13, 2003, 18:10

Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, home of Harry Potter, birthplace of Tony Blair, bursting with history and fine architecture. It's got a ridiculous number of parks, and a magnificent skyline. Pubs and clubs are clustered in the Old Town, nestling under bridges in ancient cellars.

It's not all good, of course. The Scottish Parliament, the most overpriced building in history, can be found here. I'm not joking when I say that it should be converted into a casino until we make our money back. Outside the centre, there are grim council estates and featureless shopping centres a-plenty. And it's the birthplace of Tony Blair.

Odin · July 13, 2003, 18:17

Tony Blair is a Scottie!!!

I thought we wasta Eglishman.

mrmitchell · July 13, 2003, 18:27

The worst thing about my town? The mayor and the city council don't know jack **** about nothing, or they're sadists and they're doing it on purpose. Aside from that it's not THAT bad...the standard of living is nice, it's not overly religious or political or anything...sounds like there's a lot worse hellholes I could be living in apparently.

Sandman · July 13, 2003, 18:28

You wouldn't know it, would you? His parents were English, I believe, but he grew up here.

Zulu Elephant · July 13, 2003, 19:14

The worst thing about my town in that it's the major town (there's no cities) in William Hague's constituency. (Those who are British will know what I'm on about)

For those who aren't British - he used to be the leader of the Conservatives (the right-wing opposition party in the UK) and is/was the biggest political nobody since someone you've never heard of. He was opposition leader for for four years, gained ONE parliamentary seat over that time and then resigned.

The sort of Conservative safe seat that the leader would be from...well, you get the idea. Even the Third Way is radically unelectable in my town.

Chilean President™ · July 13, 2003, 20:05

Viña del Mar, Chile.

The worst? the public transportion system! I hate it!!! Damn buses, slow, bigs, they just don't work fine.

On the other hand the sub (metro) work pretty good and is the best of the public transportation.

The best of my city? Me, of course

Agathon · July 13, 2003, 20:15

In my home town the only scandal I can think of was that a prominent council member and local citizen was caught red ****** by his wife in a homosexual tryst with a well-known local lawyer and the owner of a local supermarket.

Asher · July 13, 2003, 20:22

That's not a scandal, that's a good time.

Dis · July 13, 2003, 20:32

ahh a good place to rant about tax increases. This deals with my state mostly, but basically my state is the city of Las Vegas now

. That should get the reno posters up in arms.

The politicians on both sides have played the schools to their advantage. Basically they said if we don't approve a tax increase our schools won't open (though we have year round schools), and that would be the fault of the people who opposed tax increases. The budget was already approved, but we needed a 2/3 majority to pass the related tax increaes.

Well anyways the increaes never happened. The legislature was sued by the governor. And the supreme court had to intervene forcing the legilature to make a judgement. But get this. They nullified the 2/3 majority needed to increases taxes. Despite the voters voting twice in 1992 and 1994 to force a 2/3 majority to increases taxes.

Well anyways I don't mind increasing public school funding. We all know it won't help anything. Increasing spending never improves grades. But I get tired of the liberals whining that our students get less $/student than every other major school district. And we do have the 6th largest school district in the United States, so I guess we should be spending more per student. Our teachers are the 15th highest in the nation for salaries- though their starting salary is very low- as it should be. Our transient town seems to take any old teacher in- including the type that like to have sex with students. Teachers should have to prove themselves.

I still don't want income or payroll tax. I don't want a 10% entertainment tax either. 10% is a lot. I support increases in cigarrette, liquor, and gaming taxes though. I also support taxes on our local businesses which have very low taxes compared to the rest of the country. They have net profits tax wich I support. I'm not sure about gross reciepts tax though. That could hurt some smaller businesses.

So what does this long ass post sum up? Well I dislike Californians coming to our state and ****ing up our state like California is. They left California to escape extremely high taxes and go to a low tax state like Nevada. And then they vote to increases taxes so they get the same benefits and programs as California.

And I hate the one sided local news. They only put people on who say we should give the schools as much money as they want. The more money the better. and anyone who doesn't support the tax increases is anti-children and anti-education.

While in theory I do support giving the schools as much money as they want, I know it won't work. The public schools in my city are broke. We aren't the 6th largest city in the U.S., therfore we shouldn't have the 6th largest school system. We have 3 major cities the district can be broken apart like the police force is. North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, and Henderson. And within that break up, there should be more open competition with private schools and school vouchers. But we should increase school spending to get inline with the rest of the country.

Agathon · July 13, 2003, 20:39

Quote:

Originally posted by Asher
That's not a scandal, that's a good time.

I'm sure that's what their wives and children thought.

Actually the guy, whose name is Joe owned a bar called "Safari Joe's" which until it closed down a few years later was always known as "Homo Joe's". Not too progressive in our town.

Asher · July 13, 2003, 20:44

Quote:

Originally posted by Agathon
I'm sure that's what their wives and children thought.

Their wives must be pretty ugly to drive the husbands to homosexuality.

GePap · July 13, 2003, 22:14

NYC! Capital of the world! The insparation for btoh Metropolis and Gotham, though more like Gotham.

Boris Godunov · July 14, 2003, 00:50

New York, New York... well, it's simply the best.

Al B. Sure! · July 14, 2003, 01:11

do i really need to say anything?

CapitanGarlic · July 14, 2003, 02:21

Hamilton, MT. ~5500 people, 65% of which are 60 yrs or older according to the 2000 census.

A wretched hive of conservatism and 'summer house' yuppies. Plus, nothing to do for me -- there is about 12 bars though, not even exxagerating.

Space05us · July 14, 2003, 02:31

Barrow...... um..... yeah. You have to experience it, its not something someone can tell you about.

these smileys pretty much sum it up.

molly bloom · July 14, 2003, 02:45

Coventry, West Midlands. Knocked about a bit by the Luftwaffe, what they didn't succeed in doing (ruining the city centre) post-war town planners did. In love with concrete, walkways, underpasses, ring roads and roundabouts, they dreamt of Italianate piazzas, unfortunately built in cheap concrete, and lacking a mediterranean climate. Add Thatcherite socio-economic chaos, and you have a recipe for urban blight, with a feature of my teenage years being unemployed disaffected youth, killing or maiming each other on a regular basis- some of you may know the Specials' song 'Ghost Town' - yes, that was late 70s/early 80s Coventry, where someone had his chest crushed by being stamped on, for daring to join in singing with some revellers leaving a pub. He died of course. Every Friday and Saturday the infamous Special Patrol Group used to roam the oppressive city centre hoping to squash inner city violence (or break a few skulls, a la Blair Peach).

I have not been back since 1986. I miss it not a whit.

Giancarlo · July 14, 2003, 02:46

Madrid. A city of great architecture and spectular night life, however I have been reading reports that the Security Services are still not accepting of the gay population. Barcelona seems to be the city that has that scene. Even so, many legacies of the old regime still exist. Anyways, Madrid is my favorite city... and always has been. It is my home town, sure there are some things I don't like... such as its size...

Buck Birdseed · July 14, 2003, 15:00

Worst? Well, there's that bit in the centre the city leadership decided in their infinate wisdom to flatten off and rebuild in the 1960s, creating a concrete-laden wasteland where all the tourists seem to unfortunately end up. As well as ruining much priceless turn-of-the-century architecture &c. &c.

Associated to this is the awful Central Bridge, running a steady stream of elevated, dual-carriageway traffic through the very historic centre of the city, also built during the 1960s. So why is all this traffic run through the middle of the otherwise quietish town?

Well, Stockholm lies at the touching point of a large lake to the west and the sea to the east, connected by about 100 metres of "river" flowing around the town island, now the old town. This used to be a perfect situation when the original settlement was built- Stockholm was easily defensible and could pretty much control all the trade coming from around the lake. Now, though, it results in a "wasp waist" where the only major connecting point (bar a couple of bridges) between the land north and south of the lake's mouth is the centre of the city.

Which makes the third problem an all the more incomprehensible. In the 19th century, then railway chief Nils Ericsson (brother of the more famous John Ericsson, inventor of the Ship's propeller and constructor of the Monitor) decided to scrap the very sensible system of one northern railway station and one southern railway station, used in most european cities at the time (with various orientation-based modifications of course). Instead he plunked in a Central railway station. In practice, this means that (a) all the rail traffic passing through Stockholm runs through the wasp waist and (b) large swathes of prime beachfront property in the nicer-looking outside areas of the city is covered by ugly railway tracks. What they've done to the beach at Klara defies comprehehnsion.

Other than that it's perfect.